Biggest Hole in the Ground I've Ever Seen

Okay. I was more impressed by the Grand Canyon than the title of this post suggests. However, it is still the Biggest Hole In The Ground that I have ever seen!

It was also my third road trip after Grandma died. First trip after Grandma died was Monterey. Second was a birthday trip to San Francisco. Grand Canyon was the third.

It was also the first one I took with my new truck (my beloved Chevy having been totaled a few weeks before my trip).

 See? Shiny new truck, getting its kicks on Route 66.

I love having time to take the scenic route and just stop to take pictures of whatever catches my eye, so instead of just staying on I-40 all the way from Barstow, CA, to Williams, AZ, I hopped onto a loop of old Route 66 for a while. I think I saw all of two other cars the entire time. It was great.

I totally walked out into the middle of the road to take this photo. I regret nothing.

I finally cruised in to Williams around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and after getting settled in my room, I went over to the train depot to pick up all my documents. See, I was doing the Grand Canyon Railway trip, and needed to pick up my train tickets and meal vouchers. They've got a pretty nice set-up there, with the hotel right across the parking lot from the train depot, and I loved how the Cafe faced the tracks. 

That day's train pulled into the station while I was eating my dinner, and it pretty fun watching it roll into the station. What can I say? I like trains. 

See? Train!

Friday was when I actually got to ride the train, and it was as much fun as I'd hoped. I actually got to enjoy the scenery without worrying about accidentally driving off the road. Seriously, this is the biggest selling point for me when it comes to taking the train for trips to places like the Grand Canyon. 

And the views of the canyon were well worth the long drive from Orange County.

Breathtaking, am I right?

Some people say pictures don't do it justice.

I say, "Have you seen my pictures?"

Just kidding. I'm not actually that arrogant.

Then there was the train ride back to Williams. I opted to ride in the luxury dome car on the way back, and it was worth it. First, the view is amazing from higher up than in the other cars, Then, the refreshments are better than in the other cars (much better). Plus, there were no screaming children (apologies to anyone who has kids), and finally - I got to go out onto the back of the caboose! 

I think this was my favorite part of the day.

Or maybe leaning out over the side to get this picture as the train was rolling along was the best part of the day. 

Suffice to say - I had a great time at the Grand Canyon. I met some really nice people there who were shocked to hear that I was travelling alone, but hey - if no one is available or interested in going with me, why on earth should I let that stop me?